Chuck vs Tarawa
by Grayroc
Summary: Start of Season 2. The very idea that Casey entertained carrying out the termination order bothered me no end. I always wondered how Chuck and Sarah would have reacted to finding out that Casey had almost carried out the termination order. This is Chuck's attempt to confront Casey about betraying him and his trust. Can you ever really trust a spy?


_A/N It took a very, very long time for me to warm up to Casey's character after I saw the first episode of Season 2. The very idea that Casey entertained carrying out the termination order bothered me no end. I always wondered how Chuck and Sarah would have reacted to finding out that Casey almost carried out the termination order. There are a number of stories that have dealt with this theme. A good one is Chuck Takes a Stand by Nomadic Nerd. In my story I focus on Chuck and Casey. The A/U is that Chuck finds out. Also, to move the story along I have Sarah tell Chuck that Graham is dead right at the start. This of course didn't happen until the next day/next episode when Casey told Chuck Graham was dead._

_Historical Note: Operation Galvanic 1943, the invasion of the Gilbert Islands, the Battle for Tarawa took place 71 years ago almost to the day- November 20 - 23, 1943. The invasion was led by Vice–Admiral Raymond A. Spruance. Arguably the finest US Admiral of WWII. A tip of the hat to the USMC, most of them in 1943 were citizen soldiers. I don't own Chuck and so far I don't know anyone on this Fan site who does. _

Chuck versus Tarawa

Echo Park- Evening September 28th, 2008

Sarah knocked on the front door and she was the bearer of bad news for Chuck. She told him that there date had to be cancelled. Chuck's face showed his confusion and disappointment. But the worst was yet to come Sarah quickly went on to tell him the Cipher that they had taken back from Fulcrum was actually a Trojan horse, it was a sabotage device. It had exploded when they had booted up the Beta Intersect and everyone in the room had perished in the explosion, including Langston Graham. Chuck's reaction to her news was a horrified realization that he was still the only game in town. He was still the Intersect. He was lost in his thoughts as Sarah stood in front of him.

Sarah, ever since she had heard the news was, wrestling with her feelings and a dawning realization that Graham was really gone. Graham had been her mentor starting on that fateful day in San Diego, eleven years ago, when he had recruited her. He had rescued her from a life that would have ultimately ended in her going to prison and no doubt becoming a hardened criminal. The irony wasn't lost on her that Graham and the CIA had slowly and meticulously shaped her into becoming a hardened assassin and field operative who was respected but feared in the intelligence community. She felt his loss in the sense that he wouldn't be around anymore. It was too much to say that Graham had been a surrogate father figure to her, Sarah never went down that road. Deep down Sarah knew that Graham had been using her but alongside using her he had given her a purpose and the rewards both financial and other wise that goes along with being the top covert field agent in the CIA. In the beginning serving the greater good was a noble and pristine concept to her. She was now one of the good guys. Over the years that vision had become somewhat tarnished and sometimes she wondered who the good guys and bad guys really were. In the end she had become a finely tuned instrument that her government could use as they saw fit.

Graham preferred dedicated agents who were caught up in the noble idea of serving your country, failing that he would coerce, leverage, threaten and ultimately eliminate you if you didn't stay in line and do his bidding. Sarah knew that with Graham's death she was finally free from his leverage over her. Her Dad was now safe and most importantly her Mom and Molly were just that little bit safer. One day she would deal with Ryker. And there was one more thing she would never have to face with Graham's death. He could now never order her to terminate the asset. He was perhaps the only person in the world who through threats against her father might…..might have forced her to carry it out. No more. It felt like this great weight being lifted from her shoulders. Her mission was now to protect Chuck Bartowski first and second to protect the Intersect. From now on she would base her choices on what she perceived as serving the greater good. Sarah quickly left Chuck because there were a thousand things to do and the CIA was in turmoil coping with the loss of their Director.

Chuck's feelings about Graham's death were quite different from Sarah's. Chuck viewed Graham in the same way he saw the Emperor in Star Wars, a malevolent, manipulative man who had unbridled ambition and quite frankly frightened him. People were just pawns to Langston Graham. No more. Chuck would not miss Graham at all.

Casey was hiding in the shadows of the hallway in Casa Bartowski preparing to put a bullet in Bartowski's head. When he heard Sarah give Chuck the news about the Intersect he quietly retraced his steps and headed for the Morgan Door. Frankly Graham's death in the Intersect room was news that was gratefully received by him. Casey didn't like the CIA, as a general rule, and he hated Graham for ordering him to kill Chuck. He remembered Graham's last words to him " ..Now…. Bartowksi can die for his country." Well it looks like Graham's words were prophetic, except he hadn't been talking about Chuck he had been talking about himself. Humanity would not miss Langston Graham.

Now Casey wouldn't have to kill Chuck, the loss of Graham and the Intersect effectively nullified the termination order. Thank God. He needed to get back to his apartment and check in with Beckman and then grab his Johnnie Walker Black, this had been a hell of a night for him and the outcome was better, much better than he could've ever hoped for.

The Next Evening –Casa Bartowski

The "Piranha" was one of only six hackers in the US who had outstanding federal warrants issued against him in abstenia but who had never been caught by the FBI. Chuck was the Piranha. Chuck had been honing his craft and skill as a hacker for many years. He was forever indebted to a fellow hacker called "Rigel" for helping him. A few of his fellow hackers, the very best of them, considered Rigel to be the "King" of hackers. To many others he was just an urban myth. To Chuck he was a mentor and a friend of many years standing. They first met on line back in the fall of 1996. Rigel had given Chuck tips and tricks and code that he had personally written. The most important thing he gave Chuck was a book of one time encryption codes, only known to the two of them, that they used to communicate with each other. Rigel told Chuck it would take the NSA 100 years to crack the encryption codes. He had also given Chuck the "Ghost Protocol Code" that prevented the curious or the government from ever zeroing in on his IP address. In the early years of their friendship Rigel had even protected Chuck from several traps set up by the various government agencies to either trap or recruit talented hackers like himself. Rigel had always been interested in Chuck and what was happening in his life and was always asking after his sister and how she was getting on in life. If there was one person other than Ellie he absolutely trusted it was Rigel. Rigel was simply the smartest person he knew. It was Rigel who had encouraged Chuck to attend Stanford.

Early on, just weeks after Bryce sent him the Intersect, Chuck had told Rigel that he was in trouble. He told him from the relative safety of the cage at the Buy More using an older computer. He didn't tell Rigel about the Intersect but he did tell him that the government now considered him a very valuable analyst/hacker and an asset. And that the government had assigned him handlers. A lie but a necessary one. Rigel had been extremely upset and immediately offered to help Chuck go on the "Run." Chuck had said no he couldn't leave Ellie, Devon & Morgan, not yet anyways.

A month later Rigel contacted Chuck when he was working at the Buy More and told him to expect a delivery for someone called Mr. B. Etel Geuse, care of Morgan Grimes. He told Chuck to intercept that delivery without his handlers knowing about it. The delivery for Mr. B. Etel Geuse was a thumb drive that once inserted into his computer at home gave Chuck back control of his surveillance and his privacy. It would keep the NSA and CIA techies in the dark when he was on line at home for up to an hour. Rigel's number one rule was that Chuck must only contact him from an older computer kept in the computer cage at the Buy More. Because of Rigel's computer code and Chuck's own technical ability he was now able to keep tabs on Casey. A big smile appeared on Chuck's face with the thought of being able to watch the "watcher".

It was child's play for Chuck to set up a loop feed on his bedroom surveillance camera for the next hour and then to adjust the time stamps so that Casey and the NSA wouldn't be alerted. He was just goofing around, a little pissed off at still being the Intersect and a little bit bored. He quickly skimmed through the surveillance footage on his bedroom for the last twenty four hours. As he was watching he saw it ….and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, because there was Casey's image coming into his bedroom with his gun with the silencer attached through the Morgan Door. Chuck, looking back remembered that moment and the deathly chill that went through his body. He had jumped from camera feed to camera feed and tracked Casey's movements as he hunted something in the apartment. It had suddenly dawned on Chuck that the "something" was him. Then he saw the footage of Sarah at the front door telling him about the Beta Intersect being destroyed. Finally he watched Casey stealthy withdraw from the apartment. Chuck could still remember the flood of emotions and the immense sense of betrayal that hit him. He must have sat there, stock still for an hour with his mind racing and each second that passed the voice in his head screamed "Run, Run, Run away!" He now knew that his protectors, Sarah and Casey, with a simple phone call or text message from their respective bosses could in the twinkling of an eye change them into his executioners.

He now had proof positive that Casey would do just that. But would Sarah kill him if ordered to do so? No, surely not, maybe, no, no, no … she wouldn't. He had seen the way she behaved when Longshore almost took him to the bunker. He was sure she was going to shoot Longshore to protect him. No Sarah Walker would never do that to him. He was thinking so intensely about Sarah and assets that he had flashed and the Intersect showed him images of a past mission two years ago. To his horror he could see a file and a picture of Hans Furman, German – CIA -asset. Then a passport picture of Mira Vischer appeared - handler, Mira had jet black hair, but there wasn't any doubt about the face, it was Sarah. The next image was a picture of Hans Furman lying dead on the grass. His eyes were glassy and he had bullet hole in his forehead and the file was stamped terminated. He blinked and the image disappeared and then he held his head in his hands to deal with the migraine pain of the flash and his inner agony.

Chuck took the next two days off supposedly with a cold/flu. He went and found Ellie in the hospital and told her that he needed some "mental health time" away from work. She agreed to cover for him on his cold /flu story with Big Mike, Casey and Sarah. Chuck needed those two days to settle his feelings down and determine his next steps and decide what to do. He knew deep down that he couldn't go on another mission with Casey or Sarah until he confronted them about the termination order. If he didn't do this and clear the air or at least get this out in the open someone would get killed on a future mission. Chuck might hesitate at a critical moment or his doubts about Casey or Sarah would inhibit him from flashing and Casey or Sarah might be killed. Worst of all he might get killed.

Chuck had used the two days he was pretending to be sick to finally convince himself that Sarah wouldn't kill him. He then took a leap of faith. In spite of the images in his head about what she had done in the past he would trust her based on his gut and his heart.

How he was to confront Casey about almost killing him occupied a lot of Chuck's time. In some ways Casey was as complex a human being as Sarah and in other ways he was far easier to read. Chuck finally figured out a way he might get through to Casey. A way to get him thinking like a soldier instead of an agent who always follows orders. It was a long shot and still might get him killed. Chuck sat down and started to write Casey a letter. He would have liked to just go over and confront Casey in his apartment. But some of the things he wanted to say might just push Casey too far, too quickly. A letter was the safer route at least for Chuck it was.

October 1st, 2008

Casey had the later shift at the Buy More so Walker had driven the moron into work. When he got up to go and have his morning run he saw an envelope taped to his front door. It was addressed to Lt. Col. J. Casey.

_Chuck's Letter to Casey_

_Lt. Col. Casey, USMC_

_I know you were in my room and almost killed me the evening the Beta Intersect went live. It's not important how I know, let's just say both of us know it's true. Since you are a good soldier and follow orders (without question apparently) Graham or Beckman must have ordered you to end my life. Orders sent down the chain of command to "burn" the asset. Yes, I know what burn and terminate really mean. _

_By now with all that's gone on in my life I guess I shouldn't be so surprised when people I like and put my trust in betray me. In this case the ultimate betrayal. I knew you were an NSA assassin from the Intersect, but I didn't think you would ever kill me. I was a teammate, I wasn't a criminal, I was a loyal American just like you and Sarah, I did what General Beckman asked me to do to the best of my ability. I wasn't trained and I didn't ask for money for doing my duty. Why would my government possibly want to kill me? It really never entered my mind. I can't help but wonder if the order to kill me was more about bureaucratic expediency than National Security. Excuse me Casey why on earth would that distinction matter to you? An order is an order. I know you don't appreciate people whining at you, that you prefer people to just to suck it up, life is tough don't cry about it, so I will get to the point._

_My maternal grandfather was in WWII, his name was Sergeant Daniel Gunter and he told me he served with the Marines. He sometimes referred to himself as one of the "the Betio Bastards." The only battle he ever mentioned was Tarawa. I looked it up after he died, it was the first opposed landing the Marines faced, but I'm assuming Casey you know your Marine History. My grandfather won the Navy Cross and was wounded during that battle. In the last year of his life he came to live with us and my Mom looked after him. Towards the end when the cancer was really taking hold on him he talked more about the war. He kept in touch with two men from his squad that survived the battle with him. I had the privilege of meeting one of them when I was nine years old. I think the former squad member came to say a final goodbye to him. Once I heard my Granddad talking in the kitchen to my Mom and he told her the only reason he and his two friends ever survived was because they stuck together, they looked out for each other. _

_So why am I sharing this with you Casey? The reason is this. You always talk about honor and loyalty, serving your country and the Corps. Maybe I'm only a civilian or an asset to you but I am on your team along with Sarah. You and Sarah always have told me we are serving our country and the greater good. I know we have risked our lives many times. We also, at least, in the past have looked out for each other. You and Sarah have saved my life a dozen times or more and I have saved your life at least twice that I can remember. _

_I can't help but think that a real Marine someone like my grandfather would never betray a loyal member of his squad. In fact each member of his rifle squad would have given their own life to protect another member of the squad. To my civilian mind that strikes me as the essence of being a Marine. Casey you have forgotten what it means to be a Marine and what the word honor really means. You blindly follow orders like you're a terminator unit. My grandfather Sergeant Daniel Gunter, now long in his grave is still a better Marine than you ever were or can ever hope to be. _

_Chuck_

After Casey read Chuck's letter he wanted to go and break Chuck's neck. No one called in question his honor and being a good Marine. He had served his country for twenty five years or more. But Casey didn't move. He sat down and leaned back and stared at the wall. He then slowly reread the letter. Casey grunted twice. He then grabbed his cell phone and called a number in Quantico, Virginia from memory. The phone rang twice. "Master Gunnery Sergeant Lopez, speak. " Frank Lopez was the first sergeant Casey served with, when he was a fresh faced second lieutenant just coming out of Annapolis. Back then Casey went by another name, now long forgotten. John Casey didn't have many friends, many believed he had none. Frank Lopez was living proof they were wrong. They had served with each other and been sent into harm's way together many times. Lopez and Casey's friendship had been forged in battle, and had endured when there was peace. They trusted each other without question or doubt. Frank's first born son had been named John and Casey was his Godfather.

"Gunny its John, I need a favour and quickly."

"Okay John, go."

"I need information on Sergeant Daniel Gunter, Tarawa. Awarded Navy Cross and any info on the squad members. If it's true find me the citation."

"Geez John that's not much to go on. I'm not sure all those records got put into digital form. If not we'll have to do some digging in the archives. Listen, I'll reach out and see what I can do."

Casey jumped in "If he really did get the Navy Cross there should be something official. Listen when you do find Gunter's records can you tell me the names of the men in his rifle company who are still alive? Here is my phone number scan the info and send it to me at this number. Frank I'll talk to you later and say hi to the family."

"John you okay, anything I can do?"

"I could be better Frank, I could be better. Listen I'll catch you up later."

"Later John."

Casey then had to lie down. He didn't feel like running anymore. As he lay down sleep did not come to him immediately. Chuck had placed a knife that was twisting in Casey's gut by sending him the letter. Yeah, Casey knew at one level that Chuck wanted to provoke him. And it was working. He needed to check out Chuck's story about his grandfather and confirm this Gunter was indeed his grandfather. Casey set his iPhone alarm to wake him up in 2 hours so he could get to work on time.

October 4th, 2008

The CIA was still sorting out the mess of losing the Beta Intersect. There had been no missions and Beckman told the team to stand down for the next week. Needless to say the atmosphere between Casey and Chuck was tense. Chuck wouldn't go into work with Casey and Sarah had been driving him into work with her. At the Buy More Casey and Chuck hadn't said twenty words to each other over the last several days. Sarah had been acutely aware of the tension between them and that Chuck wouldn't go to work with Casey but still didn't know the reason why. She had tried to talk with Chuck and Casey separately but neither was forthcoming, they stonewalled her. She was running out of patience and was going to get the information out of Chuck tonight. She was going to get him over to her Hotel room and find out what was going on. She would get to the bottom of this, enough was enough.

Sarah's plan never got off the ground because Casey came over to the Orange Orange and told Sarah they all needed to meet at his apartment right after everyone got off work. Sarah's curiosity and her spy senses were now pinging like mad. She hated not knowing what was going on and she hated sudden meetings and she hated secrets.

Echo Park – Casey's Apartment after Work

Sarah and Chuck were walking up to Casey's front door and Chuck was getting more agitated the closer they got. Finally, she couldn't stand it and said "Chuck, what the hell is going on between you and Casey? And what is this meeting about."

Chuck gave her a quick look and said "It might be about a letter I wrote to him."

"A letter, what sort of letter? Why would you write him a letter?"

Chuck said "I think you are about to find that out. Let's get this over with."

Sarah put her hand on Chuck's arm and said "Chuck, please tell me what is going on. Since the Beta Intersect blew up you and Casey have been acting strangely?"

Chuck didn't answer. Instead he answered her question with a question "Sarah am I just an asset to you?"

Sarah's eyes widened and she turned her head a little to see his dark brown eyes better. All of a sudden she was very feeling nervous and to buy time she deflected. "Chuck, why are you asking me that question?"

Just then Casey opened the door to his apartment glanced at both of them, grunted and turned away and headed for the Kitchen and switched on the coffee machine. Sarah and Chuck took a quick look at each other and headed for the table and each of them took a seat. Sarah could see Chuck's eyes darting back and forth quickly scanning the apartment. It was clear that Chuck was more nervous than he usually was in Casey's place.

The table had four chairs arranged around it and there were two files and a laptop where Casey was obviously going to sit. Chuck sat at the opposite end from where Casey was going to sit. Sarah took a seat next to Chuck's left and close to his end of the table. Casey moved from the kitchen to his closet and very slowly and deliberately took out his gun and put it away in his lock box. He also reached down and unfastened his ankle holster and put that in the lock box. While he was doing this Sarah was tracking his movements with her eyes and was wondering what Casey was up to. When an Agent did this he was in essence announcing that he was unarmed to any other Agents in the room. He closed the closet door and finally spoke and said "Walker you want coffee, Bartowski coffee?" Both of them said yes. Casey poured the coffee and put the mugs in front of them and put cream and sugar on the table. He put his cup down near the two files and the laptop and finally sat down. He then took a sip of his coffee.

Chuck had also been tracking Casey's movements and his leg was bouncing up and down nervously under the table. But he wasn't going to speak. This was Casey's meeting and Chuck wasn't going to let his mouth run away from him, not this time. No babbling. So he held his tongue and waited. Sarah saw Chuck's leg bouncing up and down and now she was getting concerned. She didn't show it on her face and her body was perfectly still but inside her stomach started to knot with anticipation. What the hell was going on here?

Casey looked at Sarah and said "I have turned all the surveillance and bugs off. Walker take out your CIA detector and confirm what I'm telling you is true."

Sarah had a dozen questions because this meeting was becoming more bizarre by the minute. But she complied and got up and swept the room. It took her about five minutes to complete her work. While she was doing this Casey and Chuck were making eye contact staring at each other for a time and then looking over at Sarah. Finally Sarah completed the sweep sat down and said "Okay, we are I suppose off the grid, Chuck there is no surveillance equipment on. And Casey what the hell is going on?"

Casey over the last year had wondered how compromised Sarah was when it came to Chuck Bartowski. He was now going to find it. His approach was not without risk and it might just get him killed. But if she wasn't compromised if Walker was still the wild card enforcer for the CIA then both he and Chuck might not leave this room alive. Oh well, God hates a coward.

Casey looked at Chuck and started speaking "Last week the day the Beta Intersect went live I was told via video conference by General Beckman and Director Graham to terminate Chuck."

The words were barely out of his mouth when Sarah's hand moved snake quick to her gun and in the next second it was out with the safety off and leveled at him. Casey held his breath and waited and counted the seconds in his mind. Nothing happened. Chuck was frozen in place and his heart was now hammering in his chest. What the hell was Casey playing at and what was Sarah doing? He was now sorry he had ever sent the fricking letter.

Sarah looked at Casey and the only reason she hadn't killed him on the spot was because he had disarmed himself and his hands were on top of the table in plain sight. Her first words were "You bastard. So tell me why you didn't carry your orders out Colonel…. Oh, I get it because the Beta Intersect was destroyed. So did Beckman stop you at the last moment?" Sarah was spitting the questions at Casey and her tone was menacing and no nonsense.

Casey smiled inwardly, he knew Sarah wasn't going to shoot him. He also knew that she was compromised, that Bartowski had broken down her walls and that Sarah would kill anyone who tried to hurt Chuck…..good. Now that he firmly knew that he could continue with what he wanted to do.

Casey said in an even voice "Walker I want to show you and Bartowski a tape of a video conference." Sarah lowered the gun and laid it flat on the table. Casey swiveled the laptop around so they could both see the screen and he called up the file and pressed play.

They both saw the replay and heard and saw Beckman and Graham order Casey to terminate Chuck. What stayed with Sarah was Graham's vehemence in ordering Chuck's death. God she was glad Graham was dead and out of her life forever.

Casey then shut the laptop and pushed it to the side and then shoved the letter Chuck wrote to him across the table for Sarah to read. With one hand Sarah continued to hold her gun and with the other she read Chuck's letter. A couple of times she stopped reading and looked across at Chuck and then at Casey. Boy this was a side of Chuck she had never seen, gutsy move on Chuck's part to call Casey a poor Marine and question his honor. Even though she knew Chuck was brilliant and resourceful, even she….even she kept underestimating him and what he might be capable of. Finally she finished reading and shoved the letter back and looked at Casey and Chuck. For a while everyone sat there silently.

It was up to Casey to break the silence and he finally did. "Bartowski, I didn't want to kill you. But I was overruled and be assured if I had refused the order, hours later there would have been a half dozen agents here ready to carry out that order without a second thought. I'm glad the Beta Intersect didn't get off the ground. I'm glad Graham and I don't share planet Earth together anymore. And I'm glad you are alive."

But Casey wasn't finished and he turned to Sarah "Walker, why is it that CIA Director Graham asked me to carry out the termination order. We both know you were his go to Agent and he should have given you the order. We both know the answer to that, don't we? And don't get self-righteous with me because if it had been anyone else but Chuck you would have gotten the order and that person would be dead by now."

Sarah hated Casey for saying that in front of Chuck. But it was the truth and she felt her face redden. She flicked the safety back on the gun and put it back behind her back. She couldn't bear to look at Chuck right now.

Casey then looked Chuck in the eye and said "What do you want from me Bartowski, why send me that damn letter?"

Chuck took a deep breath and for the first time since they arrived he spoke "Casey, I'm not a hundred per cent sure why I did it. What I do know is that if I'm going to go on any more missions with you and put my life on the line. We need to trust each other, I can't do that knowing that my handlers with a phone call or a simple text message might kill me a second after the mission is completed. I also don't want Ellie walking into the apartment to find me dead in a pool of blood from a gunshot or my throat cut or who the hell knows what delivered by the hand of someone I trusted."

Chuck stopped speaking and he could feel the anger rising in him. He was pissed. He hated his life, he didn't really understand the world Casey and Sarah lived in and frankly he hoped he never would. He now knew that he may have a best before date stamped on his forehead. The only problem was he couldn't see the stamp and didn't know the exact date. Chuck's feelings stopped him from saying anything else.

Casey now said what he had planned to say. There was a reason he had tested Walker about her feelings for Chuck and why he didn't want any surveillance in the room.

"Chuck let's make a pact. I can't speak for Walker but here's what I can agree to, my word as a Marine, even though you think I'm a piss poor one. If you continue to serve your country and don't commit treason you will never have to worry about me being the one who hurts you or comes after you. I will keep you and your family safe. One condition, if you are in imminent danger of being captured, and believe me, once they get you they will torture you, then I will end your life, that to my mind would be a mercy killing."

Chuck finally spoke and said "Okay Casey, I can agree with that and will accept you at your word. Your word of honor is enough for me."

All eyes then turned to Sarah and inwardly she cringed and felt trapped. Not because she would ever hurt Chuck. No that wasn't the problem. She hated having to say this in front of Casey. If Casey was telling the truth, then he basically had admitted to her that he wouldn't follow a direct order from the NSA or CIA to terminate Chuck. That means he is compromised. He could be charged and thrown in prison or worse for disobeying a direct order from Beckman. If Casey was lying then this was all an elaborate con and then Sarah would be the one going to prison or worse. Sarah could now sense Chuck staring at her and waiting for an answer. She had to break the growing silence, time to take a leap of faith. Something she hated to do, trust somebody.

"Chuck you know that I would never hurt you. And I really hope you know why? The truth is almost the first week after I met you, I knew I wouldn't carry out a termination order. Casey is correct though that if it was anybody else but you I would have followed orders, just like he was going to do."

Sarah paused and took a breath and then while looking at him said "And Casey damn well knows that if he had carried out the termination order that night and killed you. I would have done everything in my power to hunt him down and kill him, then I would do the same with Beckman and Graham if he had lived. Chuck I will protect you and your family against anyone who might try to hurt you."

Chuck said "What about Morgan, you'll protect him too, right?"

Casey grunted a kind of yes and Sarah said "Yes, Chuck Morgan too."

Chuck's face lit up and gave them both a big smile and for the first time in a while he was the old Chuck.

John Casey sat back and laughed. It actually was a combination of a laugh and a grunt. Since they had never heard Casey laugh they weren't really sure. He then said "Okay I think this team now has an understanding and this needs to be sealed with a drink." He got up and grabbed his Johnnie Walker Black and three glasses. He poured each of them a drink and raised his glass and said "A toast to Team Bartowski, and our squad." Each of them took a healthy sip and the tension slowly left the room.

Casey took another sip of his whiskey and pushed a file over to Chuck "It's all in the file, Sergeant Daniel Gunter's service record, fitness reports, unit history for the battle of Tarawa and the citation for him being awarded the Navy Cross. Your Granddad was the real deal Chuck, he was what they called "the old breed".

Casey had obviously been doing a lot of digging and said "A marine rifle squad in 1943 during Operation Galvanic had 12 members. Sergeant Daniel Gunter's squad was in an LVT or amphtrack with 12 other Marines. The LVT was hit and came to a stop on top of the coral reef short of the beach. The men had to jump over the side and walk across 200 yards of coral with water up to their waist. The navy hadn't factored in what's called dodging tides. These are irregular neap tides. Almost impossible to predict. The men trying to land on Red Beach 1 were exposed to withering machine gun fire. Squads became fragmented as men got wounded or got separated. The beaches were a mess and men were wedged right under a coconut log seawall. Gunter and his squad survived several attempts to dislodge them and throw them back into the sea. In the end out of the twelve original members of Gunter's squad, there were only three left. At around 1pm local time a report went back from the beaches to General Holland Smith basically saying "Situation in doubt". Chuck that is Marine speak for we are really up against better send in the reserves.

By 18:00 hours on D-Day 5,000 marines had landed and 1,500 of them were either dead or wounded. Sergeant Gunter and his two buddies were exhausted and isolated on Green Beach. During the day Gunter had taken out several pillboxes and coconut log revetments with Satchel Charges and blocks of TNT. He along with others helped to open up Green Beach. That night he and his two squad members kept each other alive and hunkered down in an abandoned rifle pit. Several times they fought off infiltrators. At first light men from the second wave found them. They were all wounded, but alive. In front of their position were ten dead Japanese soldiers. Chuck your Granddad was a fine Marine. He enlisted in 1936 and served in China. Once you've read through his papers I can give you a little more history and tell you what some of the military jargon means."

Sarah was more than surprised at Casey's behaviour and had to reign in her facial expression not to gawp. This was a side of Casey she had never seen and truly didn't think existed. This was the nicest Casey had ever been to Chuck. She could see the impact it was having on Chuck.

Casey then said to Chuck "Now let me ask you a question do you know where Sergeant Daniel Gunter's Navy Cross is? Does someone else, cousins, Aunt or Uncle have it in their possession?"

Chuck said "No, there was only Mom. Daniel was also an only child. I guess it went missing when he died and then not long after Mom disappeared from our lives. Dad threw a lot of Mom's stuff out, he was pretty angry at her for abandoning us and threw her stuff in boxes and took it to the dump."

Casey then went over to a drawer and pulled out a blue box that had Navy Cross stenciled on it. He walked over to Chuck and put his hand on his shoulder and said "I made some phone calls. The Marine Corps is run by NCOs. I reached out to some of them and told them the Medal had been lost and about your Grandfather. This is for you Chuck, keep it safe and maybe someday, if we look out for each other and manager to stay alive, you can tell your children what it represents and tell them about Sergeant Daniel Gunter and Tarawa."

A/N The identity of "Rigel" shouldn't be a mystery. Rigel and Betelgeuse are in the constellation Orion.

The End.


End file.
